President Barack Obama signs the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; a job-training legislation which aims to help job seekers gain valuable employment skills, as guests and members of Congress look on at the White House

President Obama interacts with children while flanked by First Lady Michelle Obama and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman David Archambault II during the Cannon Ball Flag Day celebration at the Cannon Ball Powwow Grounds on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota

Four years ago: President Obama and VP Biden escort Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the East Room of the White House where the President introduced her as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, May 26, 2009 (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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Today (all times EST):

9:45: President Obama departs the White House en route to the Oklahoma City area

12:50: Arrives in the Oklahoma City area

1:45: President Obama Views areas and visits families impacted the devastating tornadoes and thanks first responders (White House live)

2:15: President Obama makes a statement

4:50: Departs Oklahoma

7:30: Arrives at the White House

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Monday:
9:30: The President and First Lady host a breakfast in honor of Gold Star Families

11:0: The President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; The First Lady also attends

11:20: The President delivers remarks

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The Week Ahead:

Tuesday: The President will visit the Jersey Shore to view the rebuilding and recovery efforts underway following Hurricane Sandy’s devastating impact along the coastline last fall, including the efforts by local businesses to prepare for the 2013 summer season. The President, joined by Governor Chris Christie, will visit with families and business owners. On Tuesday evening, the President will deliver remarks at the AAPI Heritage Month Celebration at the White House.

Wednesday: The President will travel to Chicago for DCCC events. He will remain overnight in Chicago.

Thursday: The President will return from Chicago and attend meetings at the White House.

Friday: Meetings at the White House.

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Comforter-in-Chief:

….. comforting people at Holt Elementary School in Holt, Ala., April 29, 2011. The President and First Lady traveled to Alabama to visit storm damaged neighborhoods and meet with families affected by deadly tornados (Photo by Pete Souza)

…. meeting residents during a tour of neighborhoods impacted by the deadly tornado in Joplin, Mo., May 29, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)

Ooooh, it’s nearly time again – get all the latest news at the Inauguration website

USA Today: President Obama’s second inaugural? There’s now an app for that. The Presidential Inauguration Committee plans to announce Monday it has created an iPhone and Android app that enables people to follow next week’s events as Obama is sworn in for a second term.

The app will provide livestream video of inaugural events, including the Jan. 21 swearing-in ceremony. There are also schedules for nationwide events associated with the inauguration, including the National Day of Service on Saturday.

NBC: Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe has a message for the White House: “Ban assault weapons, restrict those magazines that so have so many bullets in them, shore up any loopholes in our criminal background checks,” he said in an exclusive interview with NBC News.

As Vice President Joe Biden prepares to present his gun violence proposals to the White House this week, the residents of Newtown — including first responders and some families of the victims — are speaking out on gun policy for the first time.

Few have a more personal connection to the issue than Kehoe: He was one of the first on the scene at the Sandy Hook Elementary School …. as a veteran law enforcement officer, what was most striking to Kehoe was that the gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, had heavier firepower than Kehoe and his officers. The police had Glock pistols with 14-round magazines; Lanza had a Bushmaster assault-style rifle, two handguns and multiple 30-round magazines that allowed him to squeeze off an estimated 150 shots….

Washington Post: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will seek to institute some of the nation’s strictest gun-licensing requirements, ban assault weapons and restrict visitor access to schools in one of the most expansive government responses sought to last month’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Perhaps most controversially, O’Malley (D) will ask the General Assembly to force prospective gun owners to provide fingerprints to state police, complete a hands-on weapon-familiarization and gun-safety course, and undergo a background check to be licensed.

And the governor is seeking new measures to keep guns out of the hands of those with mental illness who show violent tendencies…..

TPM: The White House’s weekend ultimatum that Congress either lift the debt ceiling cleanly or take responsibility for default puts Republicans in a bind over their goal of reforming entitlement programs.

In ruling out all executive options, such as minting a high-value platinum coin, the White House put the onus on congressional Republicans to agree to raise the nation’s borrowing limit — without spending cuts or strings attached — or permit the first ever credit default. President Obama has steadfastly rebuffed their calls to cut social spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, and Democratic leaders support his position.